Monthly Archives: April 2020

After making the tough decision to close our doors on March 16th, volunteers at The Tool Library, a community nonprofit serving Buffalo and WNY since 2011, have been hard at work developing a way to re-open. The goal was to continue to provide affordable access to tools while keeping the health and safety of all Tool Library members, volunteers, and the broader community as the top priority.

We sent out a survey to our members at the beginning of April asking about their needs, how they could contribute, and whether they would utilize a contactless tool borrowing system. An overwhelming majority of respondents (82%) said they would use a contactless borrowing system. Members where not only excited to tackle DIY projects around the house, but many spoke of the need to grow their own food as one way to increase their food security.

With this data in hand, Tool Library Board Members, volunteers, and our AmeriCorps VISTA began to formulate a plan of what a contactless borrowing system would look like. Utilizing advice from the CDC and best practices from other tool libraries around the country, the Tool Library To-Go program was born!

Tool Library To-Go allows members to call, click, or email their tool orders ahead of time and secure a pick-up time and date. Volunteers are then able to prep these orders for pick-up using The CoLab, a space next door to The Tool Library traditionally used for workshops, meetings, and pop-ups. Members can pick-up and return tools without having to interact with individuals face-to-face. Returned tools are sanitized and then placed in tool quarantine for 72 hours being returned to the inventory.

For a full rundown of updated operating procedures and hours of operation, please visit our Tool Library To-Go page.

While well need to rethink what sharing looks like in a post-pandemic world, we believe that the sharing economy and local, on the ground examples like The Tool Library will be critical in rebuilding our communities to be more self-reliant, resilient, and better networked. Embracing a new normal where one borrows rather than buys and consumption and competition is replaced by sharing and collaboration.

To quote Peter Moskowitz,

The more we practice intentional and community-oriented living, the less useful we will be as consumers.

Darren Cotton works as Director of Community Development & Planning at the University District Community Development Association (UDCDA). His work primarily focuses on housing rehabilitation, small business development, and community capacity building in the neighborhood's surrounding the University at Buffalo's South Campus. Prior to this, Darren served as an Associate Planner at the UB Regional Institute working on a regional sustainability initiative, the remediation of industrial brownfields, and an overhaul of Buffalo's zoning code. As a graduate student at UB, Darren founded the University Heights Tool Library in response to his experience renting from an absentee landlord. With a Bachelor's Degree in International Studies and Linguistics and a Master's Degree in Urban Planning all from UB, Darren works to bridge the gap between research, policy, and grassroots activism and is a firm believer that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.

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Borrowing is back at The Tool Library - Buffalo Rising

As COVID-19 rampages through the country, its effects are disproportionately affecting people in disenfranchised communities those living in poverty, the undocumented, certain African-American neighborhoods and the children in these communities. Issues of low wages, lack of access to medical care, and educational disadvantages have existed for years. Now the coronavirus pandemic is magnifying these problems and bringing them to light. Here's a look at how COVID-19 has impacted the less fortunate among us.

Poverty in a Pandemic

For those living in poverty, Dr. Elena Delavega, a professor at the University of Memphis and an expert in poverty, says the pandemic has "tremendous implications on a number of fronts."

Memphis has a poverty rate of just under 28 percent, according to the 2019 Memphis Poverty Fact Sheet compiled annually by Delavega and others at the U of M. That's more than double the 11 percent poverty rate for Tennessee and the 12 percent rate for the country.

"From health care, to the ability to work from home, to accessing protective gear and other necessary supplies, to education, the effects of poverty are only being highlighted now," Delavega says.

As more people are laid off or furloughed, Delavega notes that the ability to withstand a furlough depends largely on one's savings. But, she points out, people living in poverty often don't have savings. This means they don't have the financial resources to buy supplies and food in bulk. "They can only buy what they need, little by little. Now they are going to the store more often and facing more exposure. And if there is a disruption in the supply chain, those who aren't able to stock up on resources will be most impacted." An issue that Delavega says can no longer be ignored is access to health care. Because health care is often tied to jobs in the United States, when people lose their jobs, "they are essentially being condemned to death." Delavega adds that many who hold essential jobs, such as fast food and grocery store employees, don't have access to health insurance through their employer.

"One thing we've seen in South Korea is that everything was made available to everyone," Delavega says. "Here, we don't do that. Wealthy people have access, while poor people don't. In Europe, we've seen a triage based on who has a greater chance of survival, but here that triage is economic. The priority is not given to those with a greater chance to survive, but to those who can pay for medical services." Delavega also notes that those who are living paycheck to paycheck must continue to work, whether they are sick or not. "People in poverty can't afford to avoid the virus. They have to work. They have to eat."

Tiffany Lowe, an employee at a local Kentucky Fried Chicken who joined other fast food workers in a strike to protest unsafe working conditions amid the COVID-19 outbreak in early April, knows the struggles cited by Delavega firsthand. Lowe has been working at KFC for three years and makes $8 an hour.

"I have a son with an immune deficiency disease, and I'm afraid one day I'll bring home the virus to him and he's not going to be able to fight it off," Lowe says. "I'm frustrated, angry, and confused as to why a multi-billion dollar corporation such as KFC wouldn't give us the things we need to survive like hazard pay, health care, and paid sick leave. I mean, if they want to call us essential employees, then they should make us feel essential, treat us like human beings, and give us what we deserve."

Lowe says the company is also putting customers at risk, as employees who are sick are likely to still show up to work because there is no paid sick leave.

"This job is the only source of income for a lot of us," she says. "So without working, how would they survive? Some people might come if they're sick, putting people's lives at risk."

Delavega says people in Lowe's position, living in poverty, making little above minimum wage, have always been in danger of losing their livelihood and lives when a crisis occurs.

"The reality is in the American society, the lives of poor people don't really matter." she says. "These things aren't new. The pandemic is just highlighting conditions that already exist. The crisis has made it obvious. We're seeing it on a grand scale."

This is the reality for poor people every day, she says. "One disease, one tornado, one case of bad luck for the business they work for, and this is what happens. This is true for nearly 200,000 people in Memphis. Every single day. When this is over, are we going to remember the most vulnerable among us? Are we going to remember the need for universal health care and a livable wage? Are we going to recognize the importance of internet access and make it a public resource? It's not a luxury, but an essential utility."

Children Will be "Most Impacted"

Children living poverty will be the "most and worst impacted," Delavega says, citing the education gaps closed schools and remote learning has created. Nearly half of the children in Memphis, or 44.9 percent, live in poverty.

"They are essentially missing a half semester of learning," she says. "Students living in wealthy homes with computers can continue to study. They have the books and the resources to continue learning. Families without computers or the internet are simply not going to be able to continue that education."

She says for those children the school year has essentially ended, and Delavega fears they will be at a disadvantage at the beginning of next school year. "If students lose knowledge over the span of summer break, imagine how much more they are losing now and how much more academically disadvantaged they will be next year."

Delavega fears the impact of COVID-19 on children living in poverty will be "permanent and long-lasting. The educational impacts will follow them for the rest of their lives."

Katy Spurlock, with the Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH) education equity task force, says MICAH sees greater inequity in education "than we do anywhere else. We're focused on bridging the gap."

With schools closed, Spurlock agrees that the greatest issue for students in impoverished communities is the lack of internet access and devices. "There is a huge divide there. Children whose families have internet access and devices or go to schools that provide them are a step ahead. We're just trying to work to hold the community accountable to make sure that need is met."

Census data shows that in the South Memphis and Washington Heights neighborhoods more than 80 percent of households have no broadband internet access. In Frayser, 63 percent of households are without internet access.

A report by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance published in 2018 found that of the 256,973 households in Memphis in 2016, 126,428 of them had no broadband connection.

Spurlock says, "We're already behind the eight ball realistically in this community with education and being able to successfully matriculate students through the school system. We already had problems with disparities before COVID-19."

However, Spurlock says she is going to be optimistic about the outcome of the pandemic for students. "I'm going to say we're going to be able to get this right and at least not make things worse, to ensure that children get the access they need to continue to be able to learn. When we start back school in the fall, creative thinking will prevail. I see this as an opportunity to get things right."

Alexis Gwin-Miller, who also serves on MICAH's education task force, says this crisis presents a "wide-open door for equity to rise. We don't have to stay in a place of disparity." She says it is an important time for collaboration across socioeconomic lines to address equity "for all students, no matter where they live." She also calls for the use of concrete data to deploy resources where they are needed, explaining there should be a priority to provide internet access in ZIP codes with the least amount of connectivity.

To bridge the digital divide, Shelby County Schools is working on a new plan to provide students with devices and internet access. A draft of the plan, including three options, was released in April and awaits approval from the school board. The initial cost of investment for the three options ranges from $22.2 million to $77.3 million. The options vary from providing all 94,691 students with devices equipped with the internet to only those who are eligible for free or reduced lunch.

If approved, the distribution of devices would begin within 30 to 90 days, depending on the option selected, which leaves little time to bridge the gap left in this school year scheduled to end on May 26th.

The 'Invisible' Community

Mauricio Calvo, executive director of Latino Memphis, says the struggles of the Latinx and immigrant community have been threefold amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Latinx people are just like everyone else," Calvo says. "We have the same fears and emotions, and on top of that, are struggling, as many people in poverty are, and then on top of that, there are barriers that come when you are an immigrant."

Calvo says from the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in Memphis, "There's been an invisibility of our community. I know it wasn't intentional, but I think in the midst of the crisis, there hasn't been an effort to reach out to subgroups. It's been more of a one-size-fits all response."

For the Latinx community, Calvo says the pandemic has highlighted specific challenges already present, such as the language barrier and lack of access, trust, and health care.

Cecilia Martinez, a caseworker for Latino Memphis, says she works directly with Latinx clients and one of the main concerns is getting accurate information in their language.

"For example, the shelter-in-place information hadn't been correctly translated to say what it really means to say," Martinez says. "If you don't know what's going on from the beginning, that makes it harder to get ahead. A lot of the time the information comes in English, and it's usually not translated until someone brings it up."

Martinez notes the hardest population to reach is those who speak dialects of Spanish not widely spoken, such as the Guatemalan community. "It's hard enough to get things in Spanish, but even harder to get them in more specific languages."

The lack of health insurance is another obstacle Calvo says the immigrant community faces. "If you are undocumented, you can't get health insurance. This is a real issue among older Latinos. People worry about getting tested and being positive and not knowing what to do next. Some worry about getting tested in the first place because of what documentation they'll be asked to provide."

Calvo says the undocumented community, like many impoverished populations, is also facing financial challenges. "The stimulus payments only benefit taxpayers who have social security numbers. This is very unfair, and it's important to know that there are many, many people who do not have social security numbers and still pay taxes and who are parents of American children. But these people were still left out of the stimulus package."

The government is leaving people behind who are a part of the economy, Calvo says. "We can't pretend these people aren't a part of the economy. There are hundreds of people feeling left out. These people are humans, Memphians, and taxpayers. It's a matter of representation."

Health Disparities

Preliminary data suggest disproportionate effects of COVID-19 among racial and ethnic minority groups, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted in a recent report.

One of these racial groups is African Americans. While blacks represent only 13 percent of the U.S. population, nearly one-third of people diagnosed with COVID-19 nationwide have been black, according to CDC data. (Race has only been reported in 42 percent of cases.) Similarly, nearly one-third of those who have died across the country are black, notes a recent analysis by the Associated Press using available state and local data.

While blacks make up 52 percent of Shelby County's population, 68 percent of the county's confirmed cases where race was reported are African-American. The county has not released demographics for the 44 deaths recorded here.

Duane Loynes Sr., assistant professor of urban studies and health equity at Rhodes College, says he is not surprised that COVID-19 has "ravaged" the African-American community. By design, he says African Americans are a socially vulnerable class.

Those living in the 38106 ZIP code near the Soulsville area have a life expectancy of 13 years shorter than those living in the Collierville ZIP code of 38107, Loynes says. "When you drive the short 30-minute drive from Soulsville to Collierville, the life expectancy ridiculously increases."

Loynes points to scientific reasons for this disparity and behind why African Americans might be more susceptible to contracting COVID-19 and ultimately dying from the disease.

When one is stressed or fearful of danger, Loynes says their body produces excess cortisol, a long-acting hormone. Preparing one to fight or to take flight, cortisol does three key things in the body. It raises one's heart rate to prepare the body to take in more oxygen, thickens the blood in case of injury to slow blood loss, and slows down one's insulin response to give the body more energy.

"It's really a genius way our bodies are designed, but it's designed for occasional usage. But suppose you live in a world where you're poor or African-American and you're constantly worried about how you're going to pay your bills, how your children will get a good education, that you'll be evicted, or about law enforcement. Your body is constantly doing something we're not designed to do putting cortisol into your body."

Loynes says an increased heart rate, thickened blood, and slowed down insulin correspond perfectly with three health issues African Americans are more likely to have than others: diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. "If your body is under stress and having to adjust to it, these are the consequences."

Another health issue more prevalent in African-American communities is asthma, he says. "We understand that there is a direct correlation between communities of color that struggle with asthma and waste sites. Black folks tend to live in close proximity to toxic areas. We see this all around the country."

This is not incidental, Loynes says. "I'm not saying someone said 'Hey, let's do this to African-American communities,' but the disregard for black life has made black communities vulnerable, and that makes all these other things worse. Because of these underlying health conditions on top of everything else, when COVID-19 comes on you, the body is already under significant stress."

In a press conference in early April, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who is African American, discussed blacks' higher risk of contracting COVID-19. In his statement, Adams urged black Americans to "step up" and stop behaviors such as smoking and drinking to curb the spread of the virus among blacks. Loynes says Adams had good intentions, but "he talked in a way that blamed African Americans for why they may be more at risk. He said things like 'tell grandma and them not to smoke or cut back on this or don't drink the alcohol.' But it's very clear all the ways racial bias leads to health disparities. But we don't like to talk about it. We'd rather blame big mama and say stop smoking. That's not the point."

Loynes says white Americans or those living in wealthy communities can afford to partake in bad behaviors because they are "born farther away from the edge. White people drink and smoke as well, but they're not dealing with the same issues. The consequences aren't as dire. The difference is they have a safety net. African Americans are born at the edge, and one mistake is it for us."

It all points back to poverty and structural racism, Loynes says. "I'm not saying African Americans are perfect. We all need to make better decisions. But the big picture items we struggle with are not our fault. They are structurally designed that way."

Loynes says fixing the structural issues and the resultant disparities that exist in U.S. society won't happen overnight. "We have to remember it typically takes longer to fix something than it does to break it. The problems that we are dealing with have been in existence for 401 years. We have to change the structural realities. We have to roll up our sleeves and get ready for multi-generational work."

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Poverty in a Pandemic - Memphis Flyer

While some news organizations claim that poverty in tribal communities created the conditions for coronavirus to thrive, these analyses fail to account for factors that created and presently maintain social stratification in native communities. The Navajo suffer from the effects of pandemic illness disproportionately to non-native populations presently for the same reasons they did historically: systemic inequality caused by colonialism, capitalism and racism.

In his study of the 1918-1919 influenza epidemic among the Navajo, Utah State historian Robert McPherson asserted that the Navajo experienced such a disproportionate influenza mortality rate in the early 20th century because of their spiritual practices and living conditions e.g., tendency to live close to one another, engage in ceremony that required physical contact and a perceived lack of access to medical attention. However, this historical interpretation neglects the complex system of social stratification the Navajo have persistently encountered since the arrival of the first Euro-American colonists.

In a major way, the Navajo Nation in 2020 is experiencing the prolonged effects of the dispossession of their land, the intentional result of centuries of Euro-American pathogenic genocide, corporate and military expansion and sociopolitical destabilization. It can be assumed that in the absence of the U.S. federal governments land theft, forcing Americas indigenous peoples onto reservations what could easily be construed as a form of sociopolitical apartheid subverting and restructuring indigenous economies, complicating tribal authorization processes, battling tribal nations over sovereignty in court and severely limiting consumer networks (which force people to either live very near one another or travel great distances for essential resources and services), the Navajo would not be troubled by the current coronavirus.

While some may view this as an anachronistic reading of the causes of the current pandemic crisis, youd be hard pressed to convince indigenous folks or any serious student of history or sociology that this is not the case.

In her book, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz cites native historian Jack Forbes as having stressed that, While living persons are not responsible for what their ancestors did, they are responsible for the society they live in, which is a product of the past. That said, descendants of settlers, like me, can assist Navajo Nation and other tribal communities by doing the following:

1. Urge political representatives to carefully reconsider the eligibility rules they create when crafting policy like the CARES stimulus package. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez has described the complications Navajo Nation has had accessing essential federal funds amidst this COVID-19 crisis.

2. Encourage government agencies to collect tribal affiliation in vital statistics. Desi Rodriguez-Lonebear and others have called for increased visibility for native peoples where they have historically been erased.

Nathan Tanner, Urbana, Ill., is a former Salt Lake City teacher pursuing a Ph.D. in education policy, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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Nathan Tanner: Taking responsibility for the inequality facing the Navajo Nation - Salt Lake Tribune

Over the past couple of months, weve watched as a pandemic has taken over the country while the Trump administration continues to ignore the advice of public health experts. Every day we learn more about the virus, the toll its taking on communities and the associated economic fallout. While all people are at risk, we now know that people of color, particularly Black people, are bearing the brunt of the effects of COVID-19. Black workers are overrepresented as essential workers, have a prevalence of underlying health conditions and are more likely to receive unequal treatment in the health care system. Recent data show that Black people account for one third of COVID-19 hospitalizations while making up only 13 percent of the U.S. population.

This is no coincidence, but the result of decades of discriminatory policies and practices that have resulted in persistent racial and economic disparities. Still, some have suggested that the individual choices of Black people are what makes them vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19. As Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor explained in The New Yorker, Racializing poverty helps to distract from the systemic factors at the foundation of both racial and economic inequality. Instead, there is an overabundance of attention placed on the diagnosis and repair of supposedly damaged African-Americans.

By ignoring the structural causes of these disparities is to accept them as normaleven necessaryand frees the government from the responsibility of repairing past harms inflicted by its own policies. So what does it mean when leaders say they are ready to get back to normal if normal includes racial disparities? Economic and racial inequality is so deeply ingrained in our structures that normal has meant a Black unemployment rate consistently twice that of White workers. Normal has meant segregated schools, unaffordable housing and overpolicing. Normal has meant greater exposure to environmental hazards and barriers to health care. Normal is not good enough.

Congress cannot pass relief bills that dont account for systemic issues. We need a long-term recovery that centers on racial equity. From natural disasters to economic downturns, we know that when recovery efforts do not focus on achieving racial equity such efforts only serve to reinforce persistent disparities.

Following Hurricane Katrina, which displaced thousands of New Orleans residents, the state of Louisiana distributed federal funding to assist homeowners based on their pre-storm home valuesan assessment fraught with racial biasrather than the cost of repairs. As a result, Black homeowners received an average of $8,000 less than White homeowners. By proposing this seemingly race-neutral policy, leaders reinforced existing disparities that devalue Blackness and hinder Black wealth-building.

And following the Great Recession, the recovery helped White families rebound while many Black families never recovered. Over the past decade, the racial wealth gap has expanded due in large part to the recession, and in many parts of the country, the unemployment rate for Black people was higher last year than during the height of the crisis. And yet, the recovery effort ended not long after it began, and leaders praised the strength of the economy up until this pandemic.

This [current] crisis is also exposing just how dangerous it is to have a labor market that is shaped by race-based inequality, explained Angela Hanks of the Groundwork Collaborative. Returning to the status quo economya labor market that, even in the best of times, was on shaky footingwill not solve this crisis, nor prevent the next. If people of color continue to face barriers to economic security and well being, our economy will always be fragile to future shocks.

Our recoverys success cannot be measured against pre-COVID-19 conditions where racial disparities were ignored, tolerated, or even expected. We must design a long-term recovery effort that brings our country out of this crisis stronger than we were going into it. Recently, PolicyLink released principles for a commonsense, street smart recoveryone grounded in proven solutions that are responsive to community needs. Principles include: centering racial equity; putting people first over bailing out corporations; investing in the physical and social infrastructure serving community needs; building an equitable economy that benefits workers; and protecting community voice and power by ensuring the government is accountable to the people, particularly at the ballot box.

While elected officials have a responsibility to represent all people, centering racial equity is not a zero-sum game. Ensuring all people live in a society where they can participate, prosper and reach their full potential requires recognizing that the path to getting there is different for different groups based on our current systems. Intentional investments in the most vulnerablewhile the moral thingis the financially smart move as inequality hinders economic growth, undermining the strengthening of the nation as a whole.

For decades the federal government invested in the strength and stability of suburban, White communities while giving local governments license to exclude, neglect, and even demolish Black communities. Asking for intentional investments in communities of color is not asking for special treatment. It is asking for the types of investments that have benefited White communities to finally be made available to everyone. As we continue to address the immediate needs of this crisis, we must also plan for the long road to recovery, which requires finally addressing the enduring crisis of racial and economic inequality. Normal was never good enough.

TraceyRoss is a writer and advocate who leads federal policy and narrative changeefforts forPolicyLink, a national research and actioninstitute advancing racial and economic equity.

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For Black People, The Country Returning 'Back To Normal' Is Not Good Enough - Essence

By MARK MAYNARD, Kentucky Today

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) Houses of worship will be able to have in-person services, with a reduced capacity, starting on May 20, Gov. Andy Beshear said at his daily briefing.

That date is a Wednesday and Beshear said that was intentional to allow for a gradual reopening.

Weve already been talking with faith leaders and working with them to see a gradual schedule where we could go from the one experience to some of the other pieces that typically happen, like Sunday School for instance, he said.

Kentucky Baptist Convention Executive Director-Treasurer Todd Gray was pleased with the announcement and thanked Gov. Beshear for communicating with the faith-based communities.

Having a target day of May 20 will give churches and their leaders the time they need to prepare for members and guests to re-enter the building," he said. "I am thankful Governor Beshear recognizes the need to communicate the essential nature of our houses of worship by setting a target day for resuming limited occupancy of in-person services.

The pastors of 2,370 churches and the more than 700,000 members of Kentucky Baptist churches have been anxious to assemble since the middle of March when the governor recommended no more mass gatherings of any kind because the coronavirus was spreading so rapidly.

Kentucky Baptist pastors and church members will be encouraged to hear of loosened restraints on in-person gatherings, Gray said.

Churches have utilized and sharpened online technology skills to provide services over the internet something most plan on continue to do - and some have used drive-in services where no one leaves their cars in the parking lot and listens to the pastor through radio or other transmitters. Despite those creative ways to worship, they have missed seeing each other.

Kentucky Baptist pastors have been amazingly respectful of the Governors request to halt in-person worship services as we fight the spread of COVID-19, Gray said. If churches are able to have Sunday morning and Wednesday night worship services at 30 to 40 percent of seating capacity, that will be a step in the right direction. While we have not heard specifics regarding the percentage of seating capacity our Governor will recommend, we are thankful that the conversation has begun about in-person worship services.

Beshear said capacity will likely be determined by a percentage of the occupancy that is allowed. That determination will be made later.

All of this is contingent on being able to keep social distancing and on the type of cleaning that needs to occur, he said. I would not be suggesting these if I did not think we could be doing them safely, but, if case numbers begin to climb again, its always subject to pause ... everything up here is fluid, depending on the coronavirus. We cannot allow ourselves to have that second spike.

Gray said Kentucky Baptist pastors and church leadership has time to begin preparations. If everything goes well, and theres no spike of the coronavirus, Sunday morning services could resume on May 24.

Pastors and their leadership will want to think through how to conduct services practicing safe social distancing, eliminating the meet and greet time and passing of offering plates, sanitizing the facility among other matters, he said. If churches are able to have Sunday morning and Wednesday night worship services at 30 to 40 percent of seating capacity that will be a step in the right direction.

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Beshear: Houses of worship can reopen to in-person services May 20 - Kentucky Today

A series of protests, primarily in state capitals, are demanding the end of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Among the protesters are people who express concern about their jobs or the economy as a whole.

But there are also far-right conspiracy theorists, white supremacists like Proud Boys and citizens' militia members at these protests. The exact number of each group that attends these protests is unknown, since police have not traditionally monitored these groups, but signs and symbols of far right groups have been seen at many of these protests across the country.

These protests risk spreading the virus and have disrupted traffic, potentially delaying ambulances. But as researchers of street gangs' and far-right groups' violence and recruitment, we believe these protests may become a way right-wingers expand the spread of anti-Semitic rhetoric and militant racism.

Proud Boys, and many other far-right activists, don't typically focus their concern on whether stores and businesses are open. They're usually more concerned about pro-white, pro-male rhetoric. They're attending these rallies as part of their longstanding search for any opportunity to make extremist groups look mainstreamand because they are always looking for potential recruits to further their cause.

Exploiting an opportunity

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While not all far-right groups agree on everything, many of them now subscribe to the idea that Western government is corrupt and its demise needs to be accelerated through a race war.

For far-right groups, almost any interaction is an opportunity to connect with people with social or economic insecurities or their children. Even if some of the protesters have genuine concerns, they're in protest lines near people looking to offer them targets to blame for society's problems.

Once they're standing side by side at a protest, members of far-right hate groups begin to share their ideas. That lures some people deeper into online groups and forums where they can be radicalized against immigrants, Jews or other stereotypical scapegoats.

It's true that only a few will go to that extreme but they represent potential sparks for future far-right violence.

Official responses

President Donald Trump, a favorite of far-right activists, has tweeted encouragement to the protesters. Police responses have been uneven. Some protesters have been charged with violating emergency government orders against public gatherings.

Other events, however, have gone undisturbed by officialssimilar to how far-right "free speech" rallies in 2018 often were treated gently by police.

Police have tended to be hesitant to deal with far-right groups at these protests. As a result, the risk is growing of right-wing militants spreading the coronavirus, either unintentionally at rallies or in intentional efforts: Federal authorities have warned that some right-wingers are talking about specifically sending infected people to target communities of color.

One thing police could do which they often do when facing criminal groups is to track the level of coordination between different protests. Identifying far-right activists who attend multiple events or travel across state borders to attend a rally may indicate that they are using these events as part of a connected public relations campaign.

Shannon Reid, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina Charlotte and Matthew Valasik, Associate Professor of Sociology, Louisiana State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Why are white supremacists protesting to "reopen" the U.S. economy? - Salon